, 1887-06-17


Guerreotype vvorl;-The First san rIo-
ture Ever Takou In AmerIoa-uow It
wus Done.
There Grc some interesting memoirs con-
nccted with carly photography in this
country md city. Photography dawned
on the worll ut about the same time as
~telc5raphy and ut about the same date as
steam ~ruilroudin'. And Morse, the leadin'
man in TIC telegraph, and Dagucrre, the
leadin' nan in the photograph tat first
called the da5uerreotype}, became personal
friends, and each got interested In the
others lines-a thing which very seldom
happens to that clnss of poo2lc.
Morse, when he WIS in Puris tryin' to
push his lightnin' messages, was intro
duced by Robert Wulsh, of Philadelphia,
the American consul ut Paris, TO Mons.
Dagucrrc, who was tryin' to push his sun
pictures. Tho two men took IL great fancy
to each other, just like two brothers;
showed each other their inventions
and toll each other their plansS Each
promised to help the other after he had
FIRST helped himself, and each kept his
promise.
Dlgucrre never got a chance to be of
much real aid to Morse in Paris, but he
did what he could nll the camc-talkcd
enthusiastically about the telegraph and
shrugged his shoulders enthusiastically,
al only n Frcnchman can. But Morse,
when he cot back to New York, took hold
Of his chuin Daguerrc's hobby end intro
duced it into the metropolis. The first
tclcgraphcr may thus be said to have been
the first photographer.
There was at this time In New York n
fine instrument maker, almost q genius in
his way, called Prosch, who Ind q shop
In Il basement on Nassau street, q very
curious sort Of n place; n den of scientific
odds and ends, haunted by odd und scien-
tilc men. Morse saw Prosch and gave
him n full idea of Daguerrc's inventions,
and showed him q plan of the apparatus
needed to carry out Dagucrrc's ideas. lie
also gave Prosch mn order to mako this
apparatus Prosch set to work and made
a rude nlair, which was tho first picture
taking apparatus ever made in this coun-
try, and turned 1t over to Morse. And
then one mornin', q really memorable
Inornin', in its way, Morse, with the MD
of this rude instrument, too the first sun
picture or dnguerreotype ever taken in
America.
lie took it of of the stops lcadin' to
Trosch's den. lie placed the camera on
the steps and GOT n pretty COOL picture OF
the oil brick church THE Rev. DR.. Spring's
church, opposite to the city hGll-on the
spot now occupied by the Times news
paper and the Potter buildin'. In the
foreground of this picture wa3 n hack, and
its sleepy horse, with its still more sleepy
driver.
THIS first dapuerreotype or photo
graph was, OF course, n primitive affair,
worse than II tintype now, but it was, new
erthclcss, n great, wonderful thing under
tLe circumstances. 1t demonstrated that
pictures OF the earth and things and peo-
pie on 1t, could be taken By the aid Of the
sun, Just as certainly and t%ruthfully as
ideas could be transmitted by electricity,
an1 really one fact was almost ms import
ant as the other. 1t was q truly memoir
able mornin' in New York when Morse
took the first daguerreotype of of prosch's
basement steps, although it then took him
nearly nm hour, all in all, to complete the
operation.
Professor Draper WINS n great friend of
Morse, and he got interested in this new
thing. lie and Morse experimental to-
Cethcr. Draper was great on chemistry.
lie soon improved on the original dagucrre-
otypc, aud one day hc astonishel Morse
by taE.n' his DIorsc's) picture with his
eyes oEen, giving the natural expression OF
tle eyes.
This was n big step onward; for at first
all the pictures taken Of human bcinCs
had to lie taken with the eyes closed, on
account of the glare. Imagine q pretty
woman sittin' for her picture and havin'
not only to hold her tongue but close her
~eycs-s!Iut her eyes C5 well cs shut up.
1t would he rs hard that way to have
your picture taken us your tooth taken.
Draper and Morse used 10 tako their
early pictures from q window Of tho old
university buldia', where Morse lived.
one OF their successful pictures was the
tower of the Church of Messiah. about
t1a ef-o Of N p1oyipi ror1 Tho Orrt ,,;ot
urcs were ell of EN- pictures of buildin's,
streets and SO on. But ut last Morse took
n portrait-put the human face and figure
into n sun picture. This was q step on
ward and upward; for as Morse took his
first object picture or the steps leaGin' to
Prosch's cellar, SO he took his first face
and figure picture on top of tho university
buildln', in q sort of q studio ho had
erected there IN the roof, and which was
the FIRST Photographic Studio" ever
started in America.
The first lady whose picture was ever
taken by the sunlight In this city was the
young daughter of Professor Morse. The
next lady taken was his daughters
bosom friend, and tho pictures taken of
these two ere still In existence AMONG the
choicest curiosities and treasures of Vas
sur college.
The first man in New York who made
u regular business OF tllsln pictures or
photographs was the instrument maker
Prosch, whom l have already mentioned.
Prosch saw n big thing in 1t. Inc opened
what Ee called u ''dnguerring gallery on
the corner Of Liberty street and broad
way. His first sitter and customer was
Professor West, of the old Rutgers female
institute, who was thus the very first
nan WHO ever paid to nave his photograph
taken, all the other pictures up to this
time havin' been taken as an experiment,
free.
But the professor paid for his pictures
like a man, and from that time on the
business of tal;in' pictures has lourished
in New York. 1t would make n pho
~toGrapher sick nowadays to think how
Prosch had to get his sunlighr for this
first picture. lie had TO hang u hlg mir
ror right outside his shop, Oh Broadway,
so as to reflect the sunlight full on the
professors fnce.-New York Mercury In
terview.
a Mistake Corrected.
First Sweet Child-Ohl Isn't 1t lovelyI
How wish could have some real old
lucc, too.
Second Suyoot C,Tl1 NF,,,a. .-